WebNovels

Chapter 43 - Chapter 41 - The Dragon Breaks

The battlefield held its breath.

Ryuji knelt in the ruin, Wendy limp in his arms. Lantern-cold moonlight silvered her hair. His shoulders shook.

Ryuji (voice breaking):

"...Please... don't leave me."

Tears fell into her bangs. He drew her closer, deaf to the ringing in his ears.

Darius's shadow slid over the shattered flagstones. Crimson sigils throbbed around his arm, his sleeve dark with frost-burn where Ryuji's last blast had grazed him.

Darius (low, cruel):

"Familiar, isn't it, Ryuji? The bridge. Their backs to you. They threw themselves away to buy you seconds. They fell; you lived. Ruin follows, curse-child."

Something inside Ryuji snapped.

Air pressure dropped. Frost veined outward from his knees; his pupils narrowed to draconic slits. Pale scales ghosted his cheekbones as a gale of killing cold rose from the earth.

Erza (sharp intake):

"Dragon Force...!"

Natsu (planting his feet, fists up):

"Ryuji! Oi! It's us—snap out of it!"

Lucy (hand on her keys, eyes wet):

"Ryuji, please! Look at me!"

Makarov (booming, urgent):

"Boy, stop!"

Ryuji stood. When he lifted his face, there was nothing soft left in it—only winter.

Ryuji — Winter Dragon's Iron Fist!

His knuckles detonated a ring of frost, driving Darius backward in a blur. CRACK!

Darius — Blood Sigil: Rampart!

A wall of hardening scarlet glyphs rose—Ryuji tore through it like glass.

Darius — Blood Sigil: Siphon Lash!

Whips of sanguine light snapped across Ryuji's ribs. He didn't flinch—ice steamed off the cuts as he advanced.

Ryuji — Winter Dragon's Talon!

A raking heel kick—THUD—Darius skidded, boots carving trenches in permafrost.

Gray (jaw tightening, finally seeing it):

"...His skin—cracking—he's pushing past his limit!"

A hairline fissure had opened along Ryuji's cheek, spidering toward his temple like stress in brittle glass.

Darius (snarling, then grinning through pain):

"Then choke on the fruit you forced us to grow—"

He ripped a second lacrima from his belt and crushed it in his palm.

Darius — Blood Sigil: Red Crown!

Power flooded him; his veins lit like embers beneath skin. Magic howled.

Ryuji inhaled, the air around his lips turning to hoarfrost.

Ryuji — Winter Dragon's Roar... Absolute Zero!

The blast hit like the heart of a glacier. The world went colorless—then blue. Darius braced with a crossing sigil—

SHRIEK—CRACK—SHATTER!

When the light died, shards skittered across the stone. Darius's right arm, frozen from shoulder to wrist, fractured—and the forearm broke away in a glittering spray.

Darius (screaming, then laughing through his teeth):

"Gh—hah... hah! You finally drew real blood. Good. Good! Show me how much it costs you!"

Ryuji pivoted—not toward Darius—but toward the nearest heat source.

Natsu (bracing):

"Tch—bring it!"

Ryuji — Winter Dragon's Frost Spikes!

Spines of ice erupted beneath the team—KTHNK—KTHNK—forcing them to leap aside.

Gray — Ice-Make: Shield!

A thick pane slammed up, catching the edge of Ryuji's follow-through. K-CHAM!

Lucy (raising a key, voice steadying):

"Open—Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!"

Virgo (popping from a tunnel, perfectly flat):

"Princess. Punishment pit?"

Lucy (flustered):

"Not now—divert him!"

Virgo plunged, earth buckling; a trench snapped up between Ryuji and the others. He didn't hesitate—Frost Step!—he skimmed the lip like polished glass and came down swinging.

Ryuji — Winter Dragon's Claw!

Gajeel took it on crossed forearms—metallic skin groaned—GRRK—and he slid back a yard.

Gajeel (teeth bared):

"Oy, kid—wrong enemy!"

Ryuji wheeled. Natsu met him head-on—

Natsu — Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!

Fist met fist; flame and frost collided—BOOM—both staggered, boots grinding. Another thin crack traced from the corner of Ryuji's eye; he didn't seem to feel it.

Erza (grim, decisive):

"Everyone—distance! The power is eating him!"

Makarov (staff striking stone):

"Hold the line! No killing blows—buy time!"

Carla knelt with Lucy at Wendy's side, paws shaking as she pressed her ear to Wendy's chest.

Carla (voice tight, to Lucy, barely a whisper):

"...There's a heartbeat. Faint. Don't move her."

Lucy bit her lip, tears catching light. She glanced up—Ryuji blurred past again, white and merciless.

Gray (calling out, breath smoking):

"Ryuji! It's Gray! Focus on me if you have to—but see us!"

Ryuji turned back toward Darius, who clutched his ruined stump and smiled like a man tasting victory anyway.

Darius (voice ragged, triumphant):

"Yes—become the weapon they fear. Break for me, little dragon."

Ryuji's chest swelled again, winter crowding the air. The guild braced.

Erza (sword up, voice cutting through the cold):

"Brace for another Roar! Shields and anchors, now!"

Gray slammed both palms down—

Gray — Ice-Make: Rampart!

Virgo (popping elsewhere):

"Pit ready."

Natsu (growling, feet set):

"Come on then!"

Ryuji drew in the world until it screamed. Frost rimed lashes, hair, steel.

He turned—on his family.

Black-ice breath gathered at his lips.

And in the quiet behind the noise, Wendy's fingers twitched.

—To be continued.

Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima/Kodansha. I only own Ryuji Kazuma and this fan story. Non-commercial fan work.

More Chapters